How can we support literacy and biliteracy that meets every learner where they are and helps them reach their full potential? In this episode, I’m joined by Patrick Wallace and Vicky Saldala to explore practical ways to support every student in our classroom, from beginners to heritage speakers. We discuss strengthening literacy in both the target language and the native language, designing meaningful curriculum for learners at different proficiency levels, and making the Seal of Biliteracy an achievable goal.
Topics in this Episode:
strategies can teachers use to support heritage speakers and beginners in the same Spanish classroom
how to strengthen reading and writing in the target language while also addressing literacy gaps in the native language
how can teachers make the Seal of Biliteracy an achievable goal that motivates students throughout their language-learning journey
how to design resources to support a pathway toward Intermediate High proficiency and the Seal of Biliteracy
What if finishing a reading isn’t the end of the activity, but rather the moment when the real language work begins? Too often, students answer a few comprehension questions and then move on, leaving lots of opportunities behind. In this final episode of our three-part reading series, we’ll explore how to take students from understanding a text to using language in meaningful ways. I share practical post-reading routines, ways to extend interpretive input into communication, and ideas you can adapt for any proficiency level.
Topics in this Episode:
Post-reading tasks should move students from interpretation to communication.
5 Reading Extension Activities: Partner Retell, Step Into the Story, Social Media Post, Personal Connection, Adding to the Story
Adapting these activities across proficiency levels
Mistakes to avoid
“A Day in the Market” Reading Text (Spanish, French)
What happens when students start reading—and within thirty seconds, they’re stuck on every unfamiliar word? A reading that should build language can quickly turn into a vocabulary scavenger hunt, with students translating instead of understanding. In this episode, we’re moving from preparation into what happens during reading. We’ll explore how to keep students focused on meaning, maintain engagement, and interact with texts in purposeful ways. You’ll get five practical routines you can adapt across proficiency levels and use in your classroom right away.
Topics in this Episode:
Our job is to help students interact with the text in ways that build confidence and keep them focused on meaning.
Instead of constantly checking, “Did they get it?” We’re asking,”What support will help them get it?”
5 During Reading Activities that Build Comprehension: Read in Chunks, Give Students a Focus Task, Margin Thinking, Text Scavenger Hunt, Stop and Talk
Adapting these activities across proficiency levels
Mistakes to avoid
“A Day in the Market” Reading Text (Spanish, French)
Have you ever found what seems like the perfect reading for your students, only to watch them immediately react with some form of “I don’t understand this?” Sometimes the problem isn’t the text, it’s that students are not prepared to read it. In this episode, we’re kicking off a three-part series on reading by focusing on what happens before students even read the first sentence. We’ll look at why preparation matters, five simple pre-reading activities, and how to help students approach a text with more confidence.
Topics in this Episode:
Sometimes students don’t struggle with reading because the text is too difficult, but because they are not prepared to read it and lack the confidence to take it on.
Once we change the purpose of reading, we also change how we prepare students.
Preparation helps students build interest., activate background knowledge, preview essential vocabulary and structures., develop a purpose for reading.
5 Pre-Reading Routines: Picture Predictions, Title Talk, Essential Vocabulary, PersonalConnection, Reason for Reading
Mistakes to avoid
“A Day in the Market” Reading Text (Spanish, French)
One of the best ways to help students build language proficiency is to give them a reason to use the language to learn, share, and communicate. A country projectgives students that opportunity.
As students explore the Francophone world, they develop interpretive reading skills while learning about geography, traditions, food, landmarks, and daily life. Then, by sharing what they’ve learned with classmates, they continue building interpersonal and presentational communication skills in meaningful ways.
This type of project encourages students to see both the diversity and the connections across the 21 Spanish-speaking countries. Instead of viewing the Francophone world as one culture, students discover the unique traditions, landscapes, and histories that make each country special. This French-Speaking Countries Project does just that. It includes:
Everything is designed to keep students communicating while learning about culture rather than simply completing a research report.
Whether you’re planning a culture unit, looking for engaging Francophone culture activities, or learning about geography of the Francophone world, this French-speaking countries project will give your students meaningful opportunities to build proficiency while developing a deeper appreciation for the Francophone world.
One of the best ways to help students build language proficiency is to give them a reason to use the language to learn, share, and communicate. A country projectgives students that opportunity.
As students explore the Spanish-speaking world, they develop interpretive reading skills while learning about geography, traditions, food, landmarks, and daily life. Then, by sharing what they’ve learned with classmates, they continue building interpersonal and presentational communication skills in meaningful ways.
This type of project encourages students to see both the diversity and the connections across the 21 Spanish-speaking countries. Instead of viewing the Spanish-speaking world as one culture, students discover the unique traditions, landscapes, and histories that make each country special. This Spanish-Speaking Countries Project does just that. It includes:
Everything is designed to keep students communicating while learning about culture rather than simply completing a research report.
Whether you’re planning a culture unit, looking for engaging Spanish culture activities, or preparing Hispanic Heritage Month activities, this Spanish-speaking countries project will give your students meaningful opportunities to build proficiency while developing a deeper appreciation for the Spanish-speaking world.
If you’ve been teaching with proficiency in mind, you’ve probably asked yourself an important question: How do I assess communication in a way that reflects what students can actually do with the language?
Traditional quizzes and tests often measure vocabulary memorization or grammar knowledge in isolation. While those skills have their place, they don’t always show whether students can use the language to interpret messages, interact with others, and share ideas. That’s where Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs) come in.
What Is an Integrated Performance Assessment?
An Integrated Performance Assessment is a proficiency-focused assessment that evaluates students through the three modes of communication:
Interpretive Communication
Interpersonal Communication
Presentational Communication
Rather than treating these modes as separate and unrelated tasks, an IPA connects them through a common theme or context. Students begin by interpreting authentic language, then use information from that experience to interact with others, and finally create a presentational product. The assessment mirrors how communication happens in the real world. We listen, read, discuss, and share information in connected ways.
The Three Parts of an IPA
1. Interpretive Communication
Students engage with an authentic resource such as a text, video, audio recording, infographic, advertisement, or social media post. Their task is not to translate every word. Instead, they demonstrate comprehension by identifying key ideas, supporting details, and cultural perspectives. The interpretive task provides the foundation for everything that follows.
2. Interpersonal Communication
After working with the authentic resource, students engage in communication with another person. This may take the form of a conversation, discussion, interview, problem-solving task, or collaborative decision-making activity. Students use information gathered during the interpretive phase to exchange ideas and negotiate meaning.
3. Presentational Communication
Finally, students create a product that communicates information, opinions, or recommendations to an audience. Depending on the level and context, this could be spoken, written, or multimedia in nature. The presentational task builds directly from the previous two stages, allowing students to synthesize what they have learned and communicated.
Why IPAs Matter
One of the biggest strengths of an IPA is that it measures language use rather than isolated language knowledge. Instead of asking students whether they know a grammar rule, an IPA asks them to use language to accomplish a purpose. When students complete an IPA, they demonstrate what they can actually do with the language.
Well-designed IPAs:
Align with proficiency goals
Reflect real-world communication
Encourage meaningful language use
Connect learning and assessment
Provide a clearer picture of student performance
Common Misconceptions About IPAs
Many teachers assume that IPAs must be large, complicated projects that take weeks to complete. In reality, IPAs can be scaled to fit different levels, schedules, and instructional goals.
Another misconception is that every IPA requires extensive preparation or lengthy authentic resources. Effective IPAs focus on purposeful communication, not complexity. The key is designing tasks that naturally connect the three modes of communication while remaining appropriate for your students’ proficiency levels.
Getting Started
If you’re new to IPAs, begin by identifying a theme or essential question that fits your current unit. Then consider how students might:
Interpret information from an authentic source.
Discuss or exchange ideas about that information.
Present their own message to an audience.
Keeping the assessment connected across all three modes is what makes it an integrated performance assessment. Remember that assessment should reflect communication. IPAs help us move beyond testing what students know about the language and toward measuring what they can do with it.
Ready to Learn More?
Designing effective IPAs becomes much easier when you have a clear planning process, examples, templates, and proficiency-aligned task models.
In my Integrated Performance Assessments (IPA) Quick Win Course, I walk through the entire process of creating meaningful, proficiency-focused assessments that align with the three modes of communication. You’ll learn how to design connected tasks, create effective rubrics, and adapt IPAs for different proficiency levels.
Comprehension in the world language classroom doesn’t improve just because students hear or read more language. It grows through small, intentional choices teachers make every single day, often in moments that already exist in your lesson. Supporting comprehension doesn’t require new materials, major lesson redesigns, or more prep time. What it does require is knowing where to focus student attention and how to help them make meaning in the moment.
As language teachers we know how important comprehension is. But, we also know that comprehension doesn’t just improve on its own. Understanding spoken and written language is a skill that develops over time. Students need guidance in how to process language, not just more of it.
Without that guidance, students often:
Fixate on individual words instead of meaning
Tune out when they don’t understand everything
Rely on translation instead of interpretation
The solution isn’t more explanation or more materials. It’s small, intentional moves that help students focus their attention and build confidence while listening and reading. The most effective comprehension support often happens in moments that already exist in your lesson:
During instructions
While reading or listening
In quick checks before moving on
When teachers know what to listen for and how to respond in the moment, comprehension becomes part of everyday instruction and not something extra to plan for. And when students experience frequent “I understood that” moments, motivation and engagement grow.
Your Turn
During your next listening or reading moment (instructions, a short text, a video clip, or a story), pause and ask students one simple question:
“What is one thing you understood?”
Students respond in a low-pressure way that matches their level:
Point to a picture or option
Say or write one word or short phrase
Share a simple idea with a partner
Then:
Invite 2–3 students to share
Briefly acknowledge or restate what you hear
Move on with the lesson
No grading. No correction. Just meaning.
After class, reflect:
Did more students stay engaged during the input?
Did this give you clearer insight into what they actually understood?
Did the moment feel calmer and more focused than a typical comprehension check?
You give input every day…stories, videos, reading. But you may wonder, “Are my students really understanding?” Comprehension doesn’t automatically develop just because students are exposed to the language. Without intentional support, learners can feel overwhelmed, rely too heavily on translation, or miss key meaning altogether.
This 30-minute PD course will help you build comprehension on purpose through small, daily instructional choices. You’ll learn how to:
Use quick comprehension strategies that can be embedded into everyday instruction.
Guide students to attend to meaning without relying on translation.
Support comprehension growth through routines that are flexible, repeatable, and proficiency-aligned.
This is a practical, no-fluff course led by me, Joshua Cabral, host of the World Language Classroom Podcast, designed to give you tools you can use immediately without adding more to your planning plate.
By the end of this course, you’ll have a set of go-to strategies that help students actively make meaning from what they hear and read. Over time, these daily habits will lead to stronger comprehension, increased confidence, and more successful communication.
What’s Included in This Quick Win, 30-Minute Course for $10?
Audio to Listen to All Material – perfect for on-the-go listening
Detailed Note Sheet to follow along and refer back to
Reflection Activity to deepen your understanding
Examples at the novice, intermediate, and advanced levels
Planning Template for your own daily comprehension checks
Additional Resources to go further with the topic
Personalized Certificate of course completion
If you’re ready to move beyond “they’ll understand eventually” and start building comprehension intentionally each say this course is for you.
Do your reading and writing tasks feel like an afterthought or are they building blocks for language proficiency? In this second episode of the CI Toolbox series we focus on reading and writing activities that engage students through movement, visuals, collaboration, and just the right amount of challenge. I’ll share strategies to help students process and produce language in meaningful, low-stress ways.
Topics in this Episode:
Reading and writing should feel interactive, connected to input, and in line with students’ proficiency level.
In this episode, we’re looking at six activities from my “CI Toolbox” that focus on reading and writing and are adaptable for many levels, with support for engagement and growth.
